they say hindsight is 20.20...

...& i couldn't agree more. take these two contrasting subject:

hindsight on historical events:

I'm stoked to check out History Channel's documentary series "America: The Story of Us". From our ever abstracting perceptions of the 21st century, the creation of the US as we know is seems inevitable...a given. This series wipes those thoughts clear, showing that if 1 person chose a different path, 1 battle ended with a different victor...well...all of our pasts & every single present would have quite a different narrative. Can't help but wonder what hindsight our generation is creating today...

click here 2 peep at trailer for America: The Story of Us

hindsight on "pop" success:

B.o.B's airplane vsn ii (x Eminem & amazingly soulful hook by Hayley Williams) takes a fresh spin on the idea that every moment of greatness had a succession of moments before that led to that success...it's a powerful reminder that we have control in creating our own "success" - whatever package that takes on individually; so here's 2 wishing on airplanes...

B.o.B's new album is available today - click here for more info & full lyrics

always,

nic.

international hip hop - using words for weapons

From the streets of New York in the late 70s to present day, Hip Hop has become a vehicle for spreading political & social message; it's influence has spread across the world. From Cuba to the Middle East to Africa, lyricists are using their words as weapons to spread the social/political messages they're fighting for in a way hip hop can only do - raw, unapologetic & blasted with mind numbing talent. Whether or not the political messages are up my alley, I can only show love for this form of art & expression that holds so much emotion & power...

South America: Estilo Hip Hop - Sacrifices from 3 Hip Hop Trailblazers

Slingshot HipHop - Sundance accredited documentary preaching peace in the Middle East & gender equality

Africa - the assassination of Guinea Bissau's presidential canditate, Baciro Dabo spurred the release of this mixed tape to empower citizens to react to his as well as other recent political assassinations.

links:

more history on the roots of hip hop - click here

estilo hip hop site - click here

slingshot hiphop site - click here

more info on GB Big Up mix tape - click here

always,

nic.

erykah badu - Window Seat video music premier

Love the vulnerability. Love the message. Love the crude cinematography & excited to see what else is on her album "New Amerykah" - dropping on the 30th of this month...enjoy the video!

Window Seat - video premier

click here to see video

always,

nic

wanna preorder the album? click here

common - seductively uncompromising

Working in an environment where words behind "successful" hook lines could be mistaken for cartoon jingles, hip hop artist Common deserves props for sticking true to the social & political messages he wants to get out in his music. Unapologetically he delivers his message through dope beats, lyrics & "untraditional" style. Depending on the video, he can be chilling in a felt hat & jeans, or repping old school threads with a white tux & black bowtie. In his music you feel his style, thoughts & meaning in a seductively uncompromising manner - that's why i find his music sexy, sophisticated & intriguing so thought i'd share a couple videos...

drivin' me wild x lily allen

(allen's got her own set of skills u might think is worth checking out)

the lighter side of common... kid cudi collab "make her say"

kid cudi, common & kanye west - ode to Gaga's "poker face"

(personal preference?...guess...:)

always,

nic.

links: mixing fashion, music & foundations - common's blog

Rospit Video



So nice seeing Detroit being repped like this. Rospit from Burn Rubber for sure.

www.rospit.com
www.burnrubberdetroit.com

Tunde Olaniran

There is nothing more exciting than working on projects with other artist who share the same vision of quality and design. Tunde has recently asked me to help with the cover for his upcoming single titled "Cobra". We are also designing his website, in the meantime find Tunde at twitter.com/tundeolaniran.


brock.

love - it ain't just for valentine's day

thoughts on film La Vie En Rose: biography of Édith Piaf

Soundtrack of my childhood: my mom singing "La Vie En Rose" - a song made popular by Édith Piaf (a French cultural and fashion icon, & highly recognized singer). As childhood memories often do, that song fell victim to the passing of time - until I ran across a film entitled La Vie En Rose a few weeks ago. Subtitles or not, it was time I gave the lady behind that song a shot. Some two hours later I was left feeling inspired, inferior, motivated & in awe all at once; a conversation towards the end of the film still resonated in my ears:

Interviewer: If you were to give advice to a woman, what would it be?

Édith: Love

Interviewer: To a young girl?

Édith: Love

Interviewer: To a child?

Édith: Love

Édith Piaf was plagued with continuous struggles (click here for further info) but instead of embracing the victimization status one would readily grant her, she fought for better. While talent is lost in the best of us, Édith made sure never to get lost. Her compass? Simply - love.

Love wasn't a concept celebrated on a circled day in Édith's calendar; it was a natural constant. La Vie En Rose's understated but poignant theme was how love - love beyond word & definition itself; love encompassing all realms of life - gave Édith a reason to live, a reason to succeed & a reason achieve her dreams: a true love story. In contrast to her unapologetically brash & rebellious personality was her ability to love life unconditionally; the people closest & most influential to her growth as a woman (positive or negative), the true love she found in a man, the love of her music, & the love of life around her. This love she allowed for herself to feel afforded her strength in a life seemingly destined for poverty.

Édith Piaf is now an inspiration of my own & in true full circle, may not have been discovered if not for the love she passed on to my mother of music. Maybe it was never an aspiration of Édith's to be inspiration for others, but what an amazing presence of a life in the ability to touch generations past your own. Her life was vulgar & naive, run of the mill & traumatic...but it was made extraordinary because of her love of love.

This was an amazing movie - subtitles & all. Check it out if you enjoy biographical films that focus on the realities of life & success.

listen to La Vie En Rose in english

listen to La Vie En Rose in french

always,

-nic.

We’d like to take time out to introduce Chad Swiatecki as a contributor to the blog. Chad lives in the Live Music Capitol of the World, Austin, Texas and currently writes for Austin360.com.
He’ll be bringing his thoughts and opinions on all things music to the blog once a week or so and you can count on him to speak his mind after appearances over the years in SPIN, Alternative Press, URB, CMJ New Music Monthly and Details magazine, along with Spin.com.
You can also follow him on Twitter at @theechad and @ubthedj.
A Michigan native, Chad got started in music throwing all-ages punk and heavy metal shows in his home town of Saginaw, Mich. and spent eight years as a writer and community activist in Flint, Mich., where he also met Brock early in the vividbraille journey.
Dude’s got game. We’re glad to have him here. You will be too.

Some of us feel hungry for new music. If you’re like me, you’ve been bumping pirated versions of Santogold, The Cool Kids, Amanda Blank and Robyn before they ever played SXSW. What can I say? Music keeps me up at night. I need it to function, and that need requires I feed my hunger with new music as often as possible. That’s where Rob Roy comes in.

Rob Roy came to my attention a very long time ago, and I friend-requested him on MySpace. Recently, he posted a bulletin and lured me back to his page. Now, I often stop back once a day to play through his music. With any luck, I will get to meet Rob in a few months and possibly collaborate with him musically.

Listen to “Fur in My Cap”

I asked him how he composes his songs. Rob approaches his producer with a song concept (lyrics and scraps of a melody/arrangement) and they flesh out the parts together.

As a songwriter in three different projects (as a solo artist, in the 5-piece rock band “taste this!”, and in the electro-dance duo “Stereoluxxx”), I’ve learned to write in various situations, and the voice that emerges is always markedly different depending on the creative environment. I wonder where Rob was mentally when he created this track, “Rollercoaster Baby”:

Maybe it’s the slightly off-kilter, push and pull delivery leading into that swelling hook, but something about this track grabs my imagination. It’s a good sign when I want to make music after hearing a record.

-Tunde Olaniran